On Wed, 9 Sep 1998 22:47:46 -0400, Don Wiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Amadeus Schmidt wrote:
>
>>This "undigestable" bran, also known as fiber,
>>is an ideal supply for our gut symbionts.
>
>Are you recommending bran?
I strongly recommend a high fiber intake.
If you don't get enough soluble fiber from fruit or other
plants and you accept certain grains as an adapted
food item you are not allergic to, grains are one chioce.

Bran - or much better the unprocessed whole plant seed
are *very* good fiber supplies, especially rye.
Bran is not as good as whole plants because in the bran
the vitamins deteriorate due to access to air oxygen.

> What about the phytic a
cid in it? Phytic acid is
>found in the bran. It strongly binds to minerals like calcium, iron, zinc
>and magnesium to form insoluble salts, phytates, which precipitate from the
>body. I have 60 references on this. This article by Staffan Lindeberg uses
>29 of them as footnotes:
Yes, I read a lot about the phytic acid.
I understand that mineral depletion
has to be feared if more
than 50% of all food comes from
*unprocessed* grains.

In former times (let say 100 years ago), when almost all
protein came from grains,
appropiate processing methods
were usual. Especially sour dough.
With sour dough or with soaking (this also available in
paleolithic times) phytic acid is reduced and safe.
How else could a humanity have flourished for
10000 years based almost only on grain in nutrition.

BTW, nowadays it's *very* difficult to get a real sour-dough
whole grain bread. Most
 use yeast instead, because
it's faster, and at most bread with whole grain instead of
*only* whole grain.
Before I experienced *real* bread I always wondered
how people could have live on bread alone.

regards

Amadeus